weepy eyes

[Sabine]

My rabbit, Raylann, has a lot of fluid running out of her eyes.It is mainly clear but slightly mats the fur under her eyes. I asked the vet about it and she said her tear (drainage) canal is missing. But there's no infection or problem as such. I've never encountered this problem before (funnily my neighbour said she has the same with her female lionhead) is it common or common to specific breeds? Is there anything I could or should do about it?

 

[dquesnel]

That is strange- so her tear canal is not there, and not merely blocked or scarred?

With rabbits that have ducts that are permanently scarred shut, they are more likely to get infections in the eye, or raw red sores under the eye due to the constant wetness.

I would keep antibiotics on hand with this rabbit and also be diligent on keeping the area from being too moist.

 

[Sabine]

dquesnel wrote:

That is strange- so her tear canal is not there, and not merely blocked or scarred?

With rabbits that have ducts that are permanently scarred shut, they are more likely to get infections in the eye, or raw red sores under the eye due to the constant wetness.

I would keep antibiotics on hand with this rabbit and also be diligent on keeping the area from being too

That's what the vet said.... She used to be kept in a horrendous amount of really dusty wood chippings and the fur under her eyes was so bad we had to cut it out. Her eyes are much better since i wiped them a few times with a herbal infusion and i don't use wood chippings. I just wonder will it be a problem. And how can I keep it dry?

 

[dquesnel]

Poor baby- she is lucky to have a better home now!

Well she will try to keep it dry too, and if you are also dabbing at it with a soft cloth whenever you are with her that should help. I don't know if putting any powder for example under her eye to keep it dry is a safe option at all, so while it may be possible I wouldn't actually put any product there unless it is vet approved.

If it is tearing up ALOT as in uncontrollably, she may have something else happening with the eye, or there might be too much dust/irritants in her atmosphere- some buns are REALLY sensitive to dust.

Otherwise if it just normal tearing then I don't think it should be a problem. If she does end up developing redness under her eye then that can be addressed usually with some balm.

 

[Sabine]

there's no redness and it's not actually constantly streaming. I'd just be scared she would ever look like she looked when we got her again

 

[dquesnel]

Sabine wrote:

there's no redness and it's not actually constantly streaming. I'd just be scared she would ever look like she looked when we got her again

I bet you will never have to see her again like that, with you giving her care she needs!

 

[Sabine]

Since her operation Raylann gathered loads of greenish gunge around her eyes. She only had that shortly after we got her and oce i cleaned it out her tears were running clear. What could have caused this? I cleaned it all out and it looks perfect now. I wonder can stress or an attack on the immune system cause the condition?

 

[Maureen Las]

greenishdischarge sounds like a bacterial infection....
don't know why it would clear up on its own